Micro-optic fiber device

ABSTRACT

A micro-optic fiber device is provided with independent counter-bore tubes and coupling tubes served as couplers for coupling the optical processing elements, micro lenses and the fiber pigtails. The micro-optic fiber device can be built using direct coupling manner. Wherein the optical processing element is firstly inserted in the step groove of the counter-bore tube using bonding agent, and then coupled with the coupling tubes, such as to prevent the bonding agent from diffusing and spreading over the optical path of the optical processing element as well as the micro lenses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a micro-optic fiber device, and more particularly to the technology for coupling, disposing and slightly tuning the respective components such as the optical processing element, the fiber collimators, the coupling tubes, which build the micro-optic fiber device.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Arts

[0004] The most popular approach to make micro-optic fiber device is to make two fiber collimators separately and insert an optical processing element such as WDM filters, isolator cores, birefringent crystals of PM combiners, and circulator cores in between to form fiber optic WDM devices, fiber-in-line-isolators, fiber PM combiners, and fiber circulators respectively. While based on the conventional arts that the collimators are attached to the optical processing elements either using soldering (tin solder) or bonding (epoxy). Such as: the outer housing of the mentioned collimators can be metals, the optical processing elements are attached to the first or the second collimator using epoxy or soldering bonding (to form so-called subassembly). The subassemblies based on fiber collimators are then aligned and fixed using soldering or epoxy techniques.

[0005] Although widely used in the fiber component manufacturing, the above-mentioned processes are operator dependent. The acceptance rate of the final products will be accordingly low and the skilled workers are not easy to find.

[0006] The most important point is that due to the optical processing elements are attached to the collimators directly using epoxy or soldering bonding, the epoxy flows into the optical path of the optical processing element and then will influence the optical path to a rather extent such as to deteriorate optical performance. Stresses need to be acted on the elements for aligning purpose in case of soldering bonding, such that the devices built suffer from high thermal dependent loss and insertion loss. The design, to some extent, has become the bottleneck of the development of the micro-optic fiber device.

[0007] Besides the mentioned techniques, another approach, U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,347 to make wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) device is still to use a dual fiber collimator and single fiber collimator. In the dual fiber collimator a WDM filter is first attached to the first GRIN lens using a thermal cured epoxy. The subassembly is then inserted into a glass tube and fixed using the thermal cured epoxy. A dual fiber pigtail is then aligned to the subassembly with lowest reflection insertion loss and connected to the glass tube subassembly using the second glass tube, which forms the dual fiber collimator.

[0008] In the single fiber collimator, the second GRIN lens and a single fiber pigtail are inserted in the third glass tube aligned to dual fiber collimator for the lowest transmission insertion loss and fixed with thermal cured epoxy. Finally, the dual and single fiber collimator are aligned with the lowest transmission insertion loss and joined at the first and the third glass tube using thermal cured epoxy. Although simple, the approach does not provide devices for optimal reflection and transmission insertion loss.

[0009] For filter attachment in a WDM device, the industry is now widely adopting the direct attachment of the filter onto the GRIN lens. The process needs operator to align the filter with GRIN lens under a microscope and then apply UV epoxy on the surrounding of GRIN lens-filter interface to prevent the thermal-cured epoxy applied later from flowing into the optical path and at the same time to glue them together. In the patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,347), the epoxy is used in between GRIN lens and the filter and thus it is an epoxy-in-the-optical-path design that system manufacturers dislike to use.

[0010] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional micro-optic fiber device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a micro-optic fiber device, in which, the optical processing elements, micro lenses and the fiber pigtails can be coupled by virtue of independent counter-bore tubes and coupling tubes, the micro-optic fiber device can be built using direct coupling manner. Wherein the optical processing element is firstly inserted in the step groove of the counter-bore tube using bonding agent, and then coupled with the coupling tubes, such as to prevent the bonding agent from diffusing and spreading over the optical path of the optical processing element as well as the micro lenses.

[0012] The secondary object of the present invention is to provide a micro-optic fiber device, the components of which, such as optical processing elements, micro lenses and fiber pigtails, etc. can be directly inserted in the through step hole of the counter-bore tube or the passage of the coupling tubes and fixed using epoxy or soldering bonding, and the counter-bore then can be connected with the respective coupling tubes, such that, for the coupling technology, micro-optic fiber device of the present invention is much less operator dependent and acceptance rate is much improved relatively.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a micro-optic fiber device, through the technology of the present invention even the larger optical processing elements can be accommodated and coupled by virtue of the through step hole design in the independent inserting tube, thereby the micro-optic fiber device of the present invention is applicable to different type of optical processing elements.

[0014] The further object of the present invention is to provide a micro-optic fiber device, in which, the diameter of the passage of the coupling tube is greater than that of the micro lenses, by such a manner that through the longitudinal and the axial movements the optical processing element and the fiber collimators are aligned whereby to fine-tune the insertion loss as well as the polarization dependent loss, in other words, the slightly adjustable design improves much the acceptance rate and accuracy of the final products.

[0015] The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which shows, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiments in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a micro-optic fiber device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a micro-optic fiber device in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a micro-optic fiber device in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Referring to FIG. 1, wherein a micro-optic fiber device is shown and generally comprising: an optical processing element (here taking wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) device as an example), a counter-bore tube, three coupling tubes, a pair of micro lenses (such as GRIN lenses), a dual fiber pigtail and a single fiber pigtail.

[0020] The counter-bore tube 10 interiorly defines a through passage 11. At an end of the passage 11, a step groove 111 which has greater diameter than the passage 11, is defined for insertion of the optical processing element 20. The epoxy 100 or solder is applied to the outer periphery 201 of the optical processing element 20 and the internal surface of the step groove 111 for strengthening the bonding between the counter-bore tube 10 and the optical processing element 20. The first micro lens 30 is alike fixed in the passage 11 of the counter-bore tube 10 using epoxy or soldering bonding to form a subassembly (including counter-bore tube, optical processing element, and the first micro lens).

[0021] The first coupling tube 40 interiorly defines a through passage 41 for insertion of the dual fiber pigtail 50 and between the pigtail 50 and the coupling surfaces of the first coupling tube 40 thereof epoxy or solder is applied to strengthen the bonding. The dual fiber pigtail 50 is then aligned to the subassembly with lowest reflection insertion loss, and at the joint between the first coupling tube 40 and the counter-core tube 10 epoxy or solders 100 is applied for bonding them together.

[0022] Finally, for the output part, the second coupling tube 60 interiorly defines a passage 61 for insertion of the second micro lens 70 which is fixed with the coupling tube 60 by using epoxy or soldering 100 bonding. The second micro lens 70 is then aligned to the optical processing element 20 and the epoxy or solder is applied to the joint between the second coupling tube 60 and the counter-bore tube 10 for bonding them together.

[0023] The third coupling tube 80 interiorly defines a through passage 81 for insertion of the single fiber pigtail 90. The single fiber pigtail 90 is then aligned to the dual fiber pigtail 50 with lowest transmission insertion loss. The third coupling tube 80 is then attached to the second coupling tube 60 using epoxy or soldering 100 bonding such as to form a micro-optic fiber device of the present invention. Wherein the counter-bore tube 10 as well as the first, second, third coupling tube 40,60,80 can be metal or glass made.

[0024] It is learned from the above description that the optical processing element 20 is disposed in the step groove 111 of the counter-bore tube 10 with the outer periphery 201 bonding with the counter-bore tube 10. The optical processing element 20 is not directly bonded with the first and the second micro lens 30,70 at all, such that the disadvantage of the epoxy flowing and diffused into the optical path of the optical processing element 20 can be improved effectively.

[0025] It will be noted that the optical processing element 20, the first and the second micro lens 30,70, the dual fiber pigtail 50 and the single fiber pigtail 90 are allowed to firstly inserted in the counter-bore tube 10, the first coupling tube 40 and the second coupling tube 60. And then the counter-bore tube 10 is connected with the first coupling tube 40 and the second coupling tube 60 using epoxy or soldering bonding. Wherein the optical processing element 20, the first and the second micro lens 30,70, the dual fiber pigtail 50 and the single fiber pigtail 90 are connected and bonded in a fixed manner respectively. Thereby, the assembling processes in accordance with the present invention are less skill dependent and the acceptance rate is rather high (based on the conventional arts which is technique dependent and the acceptance rate is accordingly low).

[0026] It will be further noted that in the micro-optic fiber device, wherein the diameters of the first and the third coupling tube 40,80 are greater than those of the first and second micro lenses 30,70, by such arrangements that through the longitudinal and the axial movements of the first or the third coupling tube 40, 80, the optical processing element 20 is aligned whereby to fine-tune the insertion loss as well as the polarization dependent loss.

[0027] In addition, in case that the volume of the optical processing element 20 (such as the WDM filter, isolator cores, birefringent reflection crystals of PM combiner, circulator cores) is rather large, the prior mentioned counter-bore tube 10 can be replaced by two independent inserting tubes with different inner diameters, which is provided with a first inserting tube 110 and the second inserting tube 120 respectively as shown in FIG. 2. Wherein the first inserting tube 110 is interiorly provided with a passage 111 for insertion of the first GRIN lens 30 while the second inserting tube 120 is interiorly provided with a through step hole 121 for accommodating larger optical processing element 20 and the epoxy 100 is applied to the outer periphery 201 of the optical processing element 20 for bonding with the internal surface of the through step hole 121. The first, second, third coupling tubes 40,60,80 are interiorly provided with passage 41,61,81 respectively for insertions of the second micro lens 70, single fiber pigtail 90 and the dual fiber pigtail 50 respectively. By such arrangements, the first and the second inserting tube 110, 120 as well as the first, the second, the third coupling tube 40,60,80 can be attached to each other using epoxy 100 or soldering bonding.

[0028] In the application of single-input and single-output, such as isolators, that only an input collimator is needed. The output/input is a single fiber pigtail 90 (see FIG. 3). In this case, one single tube 130 can replace the first coupling tube 40 and the first inserting tube 110 in FIG. 2. The single tube 130 interiorly defines a through passage 131 for accommodating the single fiber pigtail 90 and the first GRIN lens 30.

[0029] While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled techniques in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A micro-optic fiber device comprising: a counter-bore tube, three coupling tubes, an optical processing element, two micro lenses and two fiber pigtails; wherein the counter-bore tube and the three coupling tubes interiorly define a through passage respectively for accommodating the two micro lenses and the two fiber pigtails, at an end of the passage of the counter-bore tube thereof a step groove is defined for insertion of the optical processing element and applying bonding agent to the outer periphery of the optical processing element for bonding with the inner surface of the step groove, such that a micro-optic fiber device can be built by coupling the counter-bore tube with the respective coupling tubes using bonding agent directly.
 2. The micro-optic fiber device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the counter-bore tube and the respective coupling tubes can be metal made.
 3. The micro-optic fiber device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the counter-bore tube and the respective coupling tubes can be glass made.
 4. The micro-optic fiber device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bonding agent between the counter-bore tube and the respective coupling tubes, viz. the connections of the optical processing element, the micro lenses, the fiber pigtails with the counter-bore tube, the coupling tubes can be fixed using epoxy as the bonding agent.
 5. The micro-optic fiber device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the connection of the counter-bore tube with the respective coupling tubes can be fixed using soldering bonding.
 6. The micro-optic fiber device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical processing element can be wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) filter or other filters.
 7. A micro-optic fiber device comprising: a first inserting tube, a second inserting tube, three coupling tubes, an optical processing element, two micro lenses and two fiber pigtails; wherein the first inserting tube as well as the three coupling tubes each interiorly defines a through passage for accommodation of the two micro lens and the two fiber pigtails, while the second inserting tube interiorly defines a step groove passage for accommodation of larger optical processing element and fixed by applying bonding agent to the outer periphery of the optical processing element for bonding with the inner surface of the through step hole, such that a micro-optic fiber device can be built by coupling the first inserting tube with the second inserting tube as well as the respective coupling tubes directly by using bonding agent.
 8. A micro-optic fiber device comprising: a single tube, an inserting tube, two coupling tubes, an optical processing element, two micro lenses and two fiber pigtails; wherein the single tube and the respective coupling tube each interiorly defines a through passage for accommodating the two micro lenses and the two fiber pigtails respectively, while the inserting tube interiorly defines a through step hole for accommodating larger optical processing element and applying bonding agent to the outer periphery of the optical processing element for bonding with the inner surface of the through step hole, such that a micro-optic fiber device can be built by coupling the single tube with the inserting tube as well as the respective coupling tubes directly by using bonding agent. 